Review: Tied to Trouble by Megan Erickson (Gamers #3)


Note: This ARC was provided by Entangled Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The sight of him so affected spurred Owen on. "I'd make you beg me for my tongue and my fingers. Then I'd work you open until you were wet and ready. And then..."

Owen took a deep breath, took a hand off the way and gripped the dark hair on top of Chad's head. He jerked Chad's head back an inch, enough to let him feel the tug on his scalp, to let him know who was in control. It felt right. "Then I'd fuck you so, so slow you wouldn't be able to think about anything other than me. And just when you couldn't take it anymore, I'd speed up the pace and pound you into the bed. I'd ruin you for anyone else."

He swallowed twice before he felt confident enough to speak without a tremor in his voice. "That's exactly how I'd fuck you," he said then shrugged with all the nonchalance he didn't feel. "Too bad it'll never happen."


I know just how good Megan Erickson is when it comes to M/M romances thanks to her In Focus series--a personal favorite of mine--so while I was confident that she wasn't going to disappoint with this third book in her Gamers series, I must admit that I was surprised, and happily so, that it was going to be an M/M romance in the first place because I don't recall ever having come across one in the Brazen imprint of Entangled Publishing. So, not only am I thrilled about this milestone but I'm tickled that the irrepressible Chad Lake actually gets his shot at happily-ever-after, meaning I'm totally cool with waiting a bit longer for Ethan Talley's story (and I'm secretly keeping my fingers crossed he ends up with the one person I have in mind, but, like I said in my review for Playing for Her Heart, that may be an impossibility at the moment).

Tied to Trouble is as appropriate a title as it's going to get for the love story between Chad Lake, professional job hopper and aimless wanderer, and Owen Hawkins, copy editor of Gamers magazine and lover of bow ties. Chad and Owen are opposites. Chad does pretty well in social settings while Owen is...well...awkward. Chad is a rule-breaker and Owen is a law-abiding citizen...as long as you don't count having sex in public places (but then he could probably blame that on Chad's being irresistible). Their first meeting may have had the whole eyes-locked-on-one-another kismet thing going on, but once their mouths opened (and not to share in a French kiss), it was like they couldn't help but push each other's buttons. Of course, I'm going to count it as foreplay...frustrating and funny in a hot and nerdy kind of way.

I loved how Megan Erickson brought both Chad and Owen to life in this book because all we really got were glimpses of them in the first book, Changing His Game. There's so much more to Chad than his being the unambitious younger brother of Marley Lake and geeky Owen just needed the right incentive (i.e. getting to shut Chad up) to bring out the more confident and outspoken side of him. And what I loved most was how this wasn't just about two guys hooking up or getting over their differences. Nope. Chad is at a point in his life where he can choose to either stick to the path that has led him on the road to nowhere or to take switch lanes and take a risk on himself in pursuit of his dream. On the other hand, Owen needs to find his voice if he has any hopes of people realizing that he actually exists and that he's good at his job.

Now, for those of you who have read my reviews in the past, you may be thinking that this is nothing more than me fangirling because it's Megan Erickson. While I confess that I am a fangirl and that I have, so far, loved everything I've read by Megan (though I haven't read every single she's written, but trust me, I'm working on it), I'm the kind of reader that won't hesitate to say if a go-to author of mine has left me wanting. Pandering is not my style and it benefits no one--not me as a reviewer and not the author. So, when I tell you that Tied to Trouble is currently my favorite Megan Erickson book and one that I consider her best, that's based on how the book made me feel. I laughed more than once and my heart squeezed in empathy when both Chad and Owen struggled. Yes, I'm a fangirl, but with superb five-plus-starred reason. ♥

Release Date: 04 January 2016

Date Read: 03 January 2016

Learn more about Megan Erickson.

Purchase Tied to Trouble on Amazon | B&N | Kobo.

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